u/emsee22

I put this question for Bryceriel but I guess it actually goes to any ship.

Background, Elucien is the only ship that I am actively invested in. I'd be content with Azriel's arc if he ends up single, with Gwyn, with Bryce, or with Eris. With the obvious Elriel connection, I think the narrative purpose of that relationship is for emotional growth for both characters - and it's fine for someone to be that, just like Tamlin for Feyre. To quote Feyre "The nerve to say I was no longer useful; I was to be cloistered for his peace of mind. He’d given me everything I needed to become myself, to feel safe, and when he got what he wanted—when he got his power back, his lands back … he stopped trying. He was still good, still Tamlin, but he was just … wrong." (ACOMAF 296).

I made a huge end game post for Azriel, first Gwyn, then Bryce, and I am rereading again so I can be fair to Elriel and maybe Azris (if I see lots of imagery/evidence for that, BUT I see lots of potential for angst). Hopefully I can finish that before the book release. Also working on a huge Azriel potential traitor post.

Personally, I can see lots of evidence for both Gwyn and Bryce.

So my question is, if Bryce is Azriel's endgame, then what narrative purpose is Gwyn serving?

And please, let me be clear, I am by no means trying to reduce Gwyn to only existing for Azriel. I pose that question because I think it's quite obvious that Gwyn is serving a larger narrative purpose beyond just being friends with Nesta, and beyond her connection to Azriel. And I think it's perfectly plausible for that connection to be explored without being endgame.

In short, what do you think is in store for these characters, and what their connection is for the narrative as a whole?

If we're talking silly arguments, this one takes the cake. The most clearest evidence from the narrative that Elain Archeron is not a Night Court fae is this series of context:

1. St 1. The two males were similar-looking, in the way that people from individual courts tended to share characteristics: the Autumn Court skewed toward hair of varying shades of red, brown or gold eyes—sometimes green, and mostly pale skin. pg 373 ACOSF
   1. Establishes different courts have different characteristics
2. St 2. "Ending with Eris, standing proud and tall—wearing Night Court black—beside him." pg 578 ACOSF Cassian
   1. Distinguishes that black is a Night Court color
3. St 3. "Both sisters wore black. Both walked behind Rhys and Feyre, a silent indicator that they were a part of the royal family. Elain in black was ridiculous. Yes, she was beautiful, but the color of her long-sleeved, modest gown leeched the brightness from her face. It wore her, rather than the other way around. And he knew the cruelty of the Hewn City troubled her. But she hadn’t hesitated to come. When Feyre had offered to let her remain home, Elain had squared her shoulders and declared that she was a part of this court—and would do whatever was needed. So Elain had let her golden-brown hair down tonight, and pinned it back with twin combs of pearl. He’d never once in the two years he’d known her found Elain to be plain, but wearing black, no matter how much she claimed to be part of this court … It sucked the life from her. Nesta in Night Court black threatened to bring him to his knees." pg 579 ACOSF Cassian
   1. Juxtaposes both sisters
   2. Ridiculous, leeches brightness, sucking the life from
4. St 4. "She scanned Elain from head to toe, wondering if she’d been taking lessons in stealth either from Azriel or the two half-wraiths she called friends. Gone was the ill-suited black dress from the ball, replaced by a gown of amethyst velvet, her hair half-up and curling down to her waist. She glowed with good health. Except …" pg 596 ACOSF Nesta

So please show me the evidence that SJM can't use Cassian to foreshadow for other characters? Please show me how Cassian is so dumb that his POV cannot be used as a narrative tool to establish imagery and symbolism? I just don't see it. It's just pure dismissiveness.

1. Hunt is Orion. In Egyptian mythology, Orion is also called Sah/Osiris, leader of the Underworld.
2. SJM was probably deliberate in naming the star that Apollion supposedly devoured in the First Wars - Sirius - the Wolf star. There are three important things to know about Sirius. In astrology, Sirius has a heliactic visibility cycle where it is the brightest star in the sky, but disappears for 70 days and then returns. In Egyptian mythology, that 70 days Sirius is gone, it is considered that she is visiting the underworld. And when she returns, the Nile floods. In normal astrology, Sirius is the wolf of Orion. In Egyptian mythology, Sirius is Sopdet/Isis, the wife of Orion/Sah/Osiris - the divine couple.
3. I believe the star within Bryce is actually Sirius, and Bryce is the 7th Asteri:
   1. She charges up her power just like they do - “I don’t think so,” Dec said. “Your power came from the Gate—with a shit-ton of firstlight mixed in. So your magic—beyond the light, I mean—needs to be powered up. It relies on firstlight, or any other form of energy it can get. You’re literally a Gate: you can take in power and offer it. But it seems the similarity ends there. The Gates can store power indefinitely, while yours clearly peters out after a while.” He faced Hunt. “And your power, Athalar, as pure energy, is able to draw from her, like she did from the Gate. Bryce, when you draw from a source, it’s the same way the Gates zap power from people using them to communicate.” Bryce blinked. “So I’m like some magical leech?” (HOSAB pg 670)
   2. "No one would dare say his name, not after the Prince of the Pit became the first and only being to ever kill an Asteri. His butchering of the seventh holy star—Sirius, the Wolf Star—during the First Wars remained a favorite ballad around war-camp fires. And what he’d done to Sirius after slaying her had earned him that awful title: Star-Eater." (HOEAB pg 467).
   3. "Yeah, and I’m the seventh Asteri," Bryce said dryly. Hunt was careful not to react at the tone. The first bit of spark he’d seen in days." (HOEAB pg 458)
   4. She's a true wolf - "The Prime’s age-worn eyes blinked unseeingly at the screen. His hand curled on his chest. "A wolf." He tapped his heart. Still Bryce fought onward toward the Meadows, still she ran interference for anyone fleeing for the shelters, buying them a path to safety. "A true wolf." (HOEAB pg 722).
   5. “Just as he gave over some of his essence for the kristallos,” Thanatos said, “so he gave something to me for you. His Helfire.” “Helfire?” Bryce demanded. “The lightning,” Thanatos said, waving an irritated hand. “Capable of killing almost anything. Even an Asteri.” “That’s how you killed Sirius?” Bryce asked. “With your … Helfire?” “Yes,” Apollion said, then added to Hunt, “Your name was a nod to that, whispered in your mother’s ear as you were born. Orion … master of Sirius.” (HOFAS pg 550)
   6. “He didn’t break,” Apollion said with something like kindness. “He never mentioned your mother, or her pregnancy. The Asteri never knew you were tied to him in any way.” “What … what was his name?” “Hyrieus,” Aidas answered. “He was a good male, Hunt Athalar. As you are.”
      1. In Greek Mythology, Hyrieus was a childless wealthy king who was visited by Zeus, Poseidon, and Hermes in disguise. They essentially gifted Hyrieus a baby, named Orion, whose real mom was Gaia. Gaia in mythology is also the mother of Theia, who is the mother of Helios (sun), Silene (moon), and Eos (dawn).
4. With that mythos established I do think that it is very likely that SJM intends Quinlar to be endgame. And I think with the uniting of Theia's star (most likely Sirius) in HOFAS, the heliatic cycle of Sirius has been completed - she has returned from the Underworld and now it is time for the Nile to flood. I think that is what will happen in the House of Many Waters, likely the 4th and final Crescent City installment.

Now, even though I think it is very likely this is the inspiration and template SJM is following with Quinlar's story, I don't think that necessarily closes the door on Bryceriel. For two reasons, Hunt is a test tube creation from Hel with the purpose of being some kind of weapon, and his other name is Umbra Mortis - Shadow of Death. I like to think SJM is deliberate in how and why she names characters, and it is important to know that she was writing Crescent City, the last few ACOTAR books, and the last 3 ToG books around the same time. Azriel's name means Angel of Death. Hunt is not a true Angel, he is a shadow of one, a bred weapon. So literally, Hunt can possibly be interpreted as a shadow of what is to come for Bryce.

Alright, I just finished reading Crescent City and rereading ACOTAR series so there will be quite a few posts coming for me.

During this read I was looking for end game symbolism and evidence of a potential traitor in the Night Court. I believe Elucien is endgame, but this post is not intended to prove it.

This post will focus on Elain and her resistance to Lucien. I will make future posts going over her attachment to Azriel and characterization as a whole. This post is an opinion. I'm just not going to take the time to repeatedly say "I think" and "in my opinion" so please don't waste time commenting that this is my opinion. I am aware.

I think Elain resists the mate bond with Lucien for the following reasons:

1. She is clinging to whatever makes her feel closest to humanity. This is her overarching reason.
2. Lucien makes her new faeness feel unavoidable because she only experiences visions in his presence.
3. She has to figure out to cope with her own trauma

I think she clings to Az for the following reasons

1. He is exceptionally polite
2. She may connect with his scars
3. He feels the most safe per Feyre
4. He appears the most human in the sunlight (yeah yeah yeah he has wings, whatever, this is based off canon text)

Textual evidence that Elain is clinging to her humanity and coping with her trauma:

"I couldn’t bring myself to say she was, to give him that sort of hope when Elain might very well do everything in her power to hold to her engagement. Even if immortality had already rendered it impossible. Lucien leaned his head back against the rock wall behind us. 'And then I’ll ask your mate how he survived it—knowing you were engaged to someone else. Sharing another male’s bed.'"

"Her too-thin arms rested on her chair. That iron engagement ring still encircled her finger....All she said was, 'I want to go home.'... 'He’ll be looking for me,' she whispered. 'I know,' I said again. Not Lucien—she wasn’t talking about him at all. 'We were supposed to be married next week.' I put a hand on my chest, as if it’d stop the cracking in there. “I’m sorry.” Nothing. Not even a flicker of emotion. 'Everyone keeps saying that.' Her thumb brushed the ring on her finger. 'But it doesn’t fix anything, does it?'

"Elain sat silently at one of the wrought-iron tables, a cup of tea before her... (Azriel) Already dressed for the Hewn City—the brutal, beautiful armor so at odds with the lovely garden. And my sister sitting within it." I feel this quote is significant because to the Archeron sisters, even though we the readers know iron does nothing against Fae, it is still symbolic to Nesta and Elain as protection from the fae.

"Graysen swallowed. 'Did you think you could come back here—live with me as this … lie?' 'No. Yes. I—I don’t know what I wanted—' 'And you are bound to some … Fae male. A High Lord’s son.' A different High Lord’s heir, likely, I wanted to say. 'His name is Lucien.' I wasn’t certain if I’d ever heard his name from her lips. 'I don’t care what his name is.' The first sharp words from Graysen. 'You are his mate. Do you even know what that means?' 'It means nothing,' Elain said, her voice breaking. 'It means nothing. I don’t care who decided it or why they did—' 'You belong to him.' 'I belong to no one. But my heart belongs to you.'"

"'Is Elain … all right?' 'No,' was all I said. Elain was not all right. She had quietly cried while we winnowed here. And in the hours afterward, while the army arrived and the camp was rebuilt. She did not take off her ring. She only lay on the cot in her tent, nestled among the furs and blankets, and stared at nothing. Any bit of good, any advancement … gone.... So Elain silently cried, the tears so unending that I wondered if it was some sign of her heart bleeding out. Some sliver of hope that had shattered today. That Graysen would still love her, still marry her—and that love would trump even a mating bond. A final tether had been snapped—to her life in the human lands. Only our father, wherever he was, remained as any sort of connection."

Elain's mind "She had no mental shields, no barriers. The gates to her mind … Solid iron, covered in vines of flowers—or it would have been. The blossoms were all sealed, sleeping buds tucked into tangles of leaves and thorns" -->."My dreams were a tangled garden, thorns snagging on me as I stumbled through them. I dreamed of the Suriel, bleeding out and smiling. I dreamed of the Weaver’s open mouth ripping into Ianthe while she still screamed. I dreamed of Lord Graysen—so mortal and young—standing at the edge of the camp, beckoning to Elain. Telling her he’d come for her. To come home with him. That he’d found a way to undo what had been done to her—to make her human again." --> "She shook her head, devouring the sight of him as if not quite believing it. 'You came for me.**' The shadowsinger only inclined his head."

"I’d seen Elain staring out the window earlier—watching Graysen leave with his men without so much as a look back at her. He had meant every word that day at his keep. Whether he noticed that Elain still wore his engagement ring, that Elain stared and stared at him as he walked off into the night … I didn’t know. Let Lucien deal with that—for now."

"No, she tended to her gardens here, silently mourning her lost human life. Mourning Graysen. How Lucien withstood it, I didn’t know. Not that he’d shown any interest in bridging that gap between them."

"Like the rest of us, Elain’s recovery was ongoing. She’d wept for hours the day I’d taken her to a wildflower-covered hill on the outskirts of the city—to the marble headstone I’d had erected there in honor of our father... She went at least once a month."

"'Why wouldn’t I be all right?' she asked, a smile lighting up her face. I’d seen those smiles before. On my own damn face."

"'There’s no going back to being human, girl,' Amren said, perhaps a tad gently. 'Amren,' I warned. Elain’s face reddened further, her back straightening. But she didn’t bolt. 'I don’t know what you’re talking about.' I’d never heard Elain’s voice so cold. I glanced at the others. Rhys was frowning, Cassian and Mor were both grimacing, and Azriel … It was pity on his beautiful face. Pity and sorrow as he watched my sister. Elain hadn’t mentioned being Made, or the Cauldron, or Graysen in months. I’d assumed that perhaps she was becoming accustomed to being High Fae, that she’d perhaps begun to let go of that mortal life."

"Again, Amren sifted through her pieces. 'Elain has her own problems to focus on.' 'Such as?' Amren just gave me a Look. I ignored it."

"Her mouth tightened, the only sign of anger in her graceful countenance. **'**I don’t want a mate. I don’t want a male.' She wanted a human man."

Nesta and Cass convo but I think the theme is relevant: "'That word means nothing to me, Cassian,' she said, voice thick as she tried to keep the people who strode past from overhearing. 'It means something to all of you, but for most of my life, husband and wife was as good as it got. Mate is just a word.' 'That’s bullshit.....You are my mate! Why are you still fighting it?' She let the truth, voiced at last, wash over her. 'You promised me forever on Solstice,' he said, voice breaking. 'Why is one word somehow throwing you off that?' 'Because with that one word, the last scrap of my humanity goes away!' She didn’t care who saw them, who heard. 'With that one stupid word, I am no longer human in any way. I’m one of you!'”

I first wanted to establish what we all know already, but that Elain is clinging to her human life. And now to segway into the actual theory.

Evidence that Lucien is present/in the vicinity every time Elain has visions explicitly or implicitly:

This first vision occurs in the family library. Elain finally leaves her room for the first time, coinciding with Lucien's arrival, and Nesta is able to get her to eat broth the night before. Her first vision "She said, 'I can hear the sea. Even at night. Even in my dreams. The crashing sea—and the screams of a bird made of fire.'"

The sisters get very concerned at this, and both Feyre and Nesta check to ensure Elain cannot open the window before leaving her to talk to privately. They converse upon what triggered these visions in Elain, so they were not occurring before Lucien's arrival:

"I dragged a hand through my hair, freeing strands from my braid. **'*Did anything happen to trigger—*' 'I don’t know. I check on her every few hours.' Nesta clenched her jaw. 'I was gone for longer yesterday, though.' ... But there, beneath that cool demeanor—guilt. Panic. 'I doubt anything happened,' I said quickly. 'Maybe it’s just … part of the recovery process. Her adjustment to being Fae.' Nesta didn’t look convinced. 'Does she have powers? Like mine.'”

Coincidentally, Lucien has found himself restless and wanting to read a book, so he is on his way to the library. It's my headcanon that not only did Lucien's presence activate her Seer powers, but also made her aware of what her mate needs, a walk and a book --> "He hadn’t expected her to be here...he’d been cooped up in this wind-blasted House for two days. The thought of another one had been enough to make him risk Rhysand’s wrath. He just wanted a walk—and a few books. It had been an age since he’d even had free time to read, let alone do so for pleasure. But there she was. His mate." If anyone knows what one needs, it's a mate. Lucien wanted a walk and to read, so Elain for some odd reason felt the need to leave her room for the first time since Hybern and walk herself right to the library. And that, in my opinion, is true SJM endgame subtlety. Not the in your face stuff we get with Elain and Az.

The next time we get a vision from Elain is at the townhouse. Feyre reveals accidentally that she had gone to see the Bone Carver behind Amren's back. To document Lucien's movement during this scene: "Amren’s face tightened, Nesta glancing between them—carefully. Reading us. Especially as Amren’s quicksilver eyes swirled. 'Why did you go.' I opened my mouth, but the gold of Lucien’s eye caught my attention. Snared it. My hesitation must have been indication enough of my wariness. Jaw tight with a hint of frustration, Lucien excused himself to his room. Frustration—and perhaps disappointment. I blocked it out—what it did to my stomach."

Amren does not want to share how she left the prison because the wind and stone are listening and report back to the prison. Feyre puts up a shield so no one can hear beyond the room they are in: "'Because the stone beneath this house has ears, the wind has ears—all of it listening,' Amren said. 'And if it reports back … They will remember, Rhysand, that they have not caught me. And I will not let them put me in that black pit again.' My ears hollowed out as a shield clicked into place. 'No one will hear beyond this room.'" I have more to say on this whole binding thing in regards to Maasverse and possibly Crescent City connections to Hel, but that is for another post. "'Was Amren your name?' Nesta asked. 'No.' The smoke swirled in her eyes. 'I do not remember the name I was given. I used Amren because—it’s a long story.' I almost begged her to tell it, but soft footsteps thudded, and then— 'Oh.' Elain started—enough so that I realized she couldn’t hear us. Had no idea we were here, thanks to the shield that kept sound from escaping." Then Elain's next vision "But Elain shook me off, heading back to the stairs. She said as she climbed the first steps, 'I can hear her—crying.' I gripped the bottom post of the banister. 'Who?' 'Everyone thinks she’s dead.' Elain kept walking. 'But she’s not. Only—different. Changed. As I was.'...'Elain paused halfway up the stairs. Slowly, she turned to look back at him. 'I saw young hands wither with age. I saw a box of black stone. I saw a feather of fire land on snow and melt it.'" Lucien is again still present, just in his room. Really his presence should be the only thing she can hear with the shield up at this point. And thus her next vision.

The next vision Elain has is after Lucien tugs on the bond: "Elain sidled toward Nesta, who seemed to be at a near-simmer. 'It felt … strange,' Elain breathed. 'Like you pulled on a thread tied to a rib.' Lucien exposed his palms to her. 'I’m sorry.' Elain only stared at him for a long moment. And any lucidity faded away as she shook her head, blinking twice, and said to Nesta, 'Twin ravens are coming, one white and one black.'"

I'm also just going to quickly disprove the Elriel theory that Elucien bond is fake simply because of Elain's description of the bond like a thread tied to a rib. There are two Feyre quotes from ACOTAR describing Feysand's bond similarly, so both bonds must be fake with that logic:

"There was a string - a string tied to my gut that pulled me toward those hills, commanding me to go, to hear the faerie drums..." ACOTAR pg 183

"I was pulled from sleep by something tugging at my middle, a thread deep inside." ACOTAR pg 412

And Elain's last explicit vision:

Feyre and Nesta are attacked in the library by Hybern, and Amren is on the hunt "Lucien, stationed by the front window, turned from watching the street. Monitoring it. A sword and dagger hung from his belt. No humor, no warmth graced his face—only fierce, grim determination... Mor sagged against the couch cushions. 'A war where we have no allies beyond Keir, either in Prythian or beyond it.' Rhys gave her a sharp look. But Elain said quietly, 'The queen might come'....Elain’s brows twitched toward each other. 'The queen—with the feathers of flame.'...Elain shifted her face toward him. Another blink. 'They sold her—to … to some darkness, to some … sorcerer-lord …' She shook her head. 'I can never see him. What he is. There is an onyx box that he possesses, more vital than anything … save for them. The girls. He keeps other girls—others so like her—but she … By day, she is one form, by night, human again.'...Mor leaned forward. 'Do you know why the other queens cursed her—sold her to him?' Elain studied the table. 'No. No—that is all mist and shadow.'"

Mor asks a question we still don't have the answer to: "But Mor tried again. 'There is a reason why Elain is seeing these things. She was right about the other queen turning old, about the Ravens’ attack—why is she being sent this image? Why is she hearing this queen? It must be vital. If we ignore it, perhaps we’ll deserve to fail.'”

First , I want to document Lucien's reactions throughout this discovery of Elain's abilities: "Mor’s gaze darted across my sister’s face, as if weighing the words, the question, the truth or lie within. Mor at last blinked, mouth parting. Like that magic of hers had at last solved some puzzle. Slowly, clearly, she nodded. Lucien silently slid into one of the chairs, before the window, that metal eye whirring as it roved over my sister...'..what if the Cauldron gave something to Elain?' Nesta’s face drained of color. 'What?' Equally ashen, Lucien seemed inclined to echo Nesta’s hoarse question...Lucien just stared and stared at my sister, as if he’d never seen her before."

And then Lucien volunteers to leave and find Vassa (who has another name but nobody remembers it): "'I’ll go.' Lucien was staring at Elain as he spoke... 'This eye …' Lucien gestured to the metal contraption. 'It can see things that others … can’t. Spells, glamours … Perhaps it can help me find her. And break her curse.' He glanced at Elain, who was again studying her lap.......Only Cassian returned the grin. 'I’ll load you up with some Illyrian steel.' Elain now watched Lucien warily. Blinking every now and then. She revealed no hint of whatever she might be seeing—sensing. None... 'He only glanced at Elain, whose face was again a calm void while she traced a finger over the embroidery on the couch cushions. 'Yes. Let me help in whatever way I can.'...Even Nesta seemed relatively concerned. Not for him, no doubt, but the fact that if he were hurt, or killed … What would it do to Elain? The severing of the mating bond … I shut out the thought of what it’d do to me... Alone with my sisters and Lucien, Rhys and I caught Nesta’s eye. And for once, my sister rose to her feet and came toward us, the three of us not so subtly heading upstairs. Leaving Lucien and Elain alone. It was an effort not to linger atop the landing, to listen to what was said. If anything was said at all."

And then the day he leaves: "But Lucien took Rhys’s hand. That silent offer of not only transportation. Before that dark wind swept in, Lucien looked back. Not to me, I realized—to someone behind me. Pale and thin, Elain stood atop the stairs. Their gazes locked and held. But Elain said nothing. Did not so much as take one step downward. Lucien inclined his head in a bow, the movement hiding the gleam in his eye—the longing and sadness. And when Lucien turned to signal to Rhys to go … He did not glance back at Elain. Did not see the half step she took toward the stairs—as if she’d speak to him. Stop him. Then Rhys was gone, and Lucien with him. When I turned to offer Elain breakfast, she’d already walked away."

After the naming her ability and Lucien leaving, Elain no longer has any explicit visions. She does say at the Illyrian camp prior to visiting Graysen that she can control whether or not she verbalizes what she sees. And she also cannot see where Hybern's army is, awake or dreaming. The only other time she used some kind of ability is when Feyre asks her to use a map to locate the Suriel. Feyre asked her to look, so it wasn't an uncontrollable vision like the others have been.

Now some implicit evidence that when she is around Lucien, she may be seeing something. What, we don't know:

"Elain fell into step beside me, peering at Lucien. He noticed it. 'I heard you made the killing blow,' he said." peering - looking narrowly or searchingly, as in the effort to discern clearly

Evidence of tension in ACOFAS:

"No, as Elain took a step back, hand falling away from the doorknob, she revealed Lucien smiling tightly at us both."

"Elain perched silently on the couch nearby." perched - to sit or rest in a high, elevated, or precarious position near the edge of something, or to place an object in such a spot

"A sidelong glance toward Elain, swift and fleeting. 'Both of you.' Elain said nothing, but at least she bowed her head in thanks. In the dining room, Nuala and Cerridwen continued to add food to the table, their presence now little more than twin shadows as they walked through the walls. 'You brought presents,' I said uselessly, nodding toward the small stack he’d set by the window. 'It’s Solstice tradition here, isn’t it?'" Commentary to add hypothesis that Nuala and Cerridwen may actually be spying actively, an Az may have been lying about not spying in earlier chapters. I don't know. I have more to come on this their presence in later theories. I also want to add that in the Spring Court, gift giving is not a part of the tradition, so he doesn't really have an expectation of Elain to give him anything.

"Lucien considered my question. 'Vassa and Jurian are two sides of the same coin. Mercifully, their vision for the future of the human territories is mostly aligned. But the methods on how to attain that …' A frown to Elain, then a wince at me. 'This isn’t very Solstice-like talk.' Definitely not, but I didn’t mind. And as for Elain … My sister rose to her feet. 'I should get refreshments.' Lucien rose as well. 'No need to trouble yourself. I’m—' But she was already out of the room." wince - to make a sudden, involuntary grimace or shrinking movement of the face and body because of physical pain, embarrassment, or an unpleasant memory. Is it really the topic that he is wincing about and doesn't want to be impolite? Or is there something that he doesn't want to share? If Elain leaving because she doesn't want to be there, are upset that he stopped talking on her regard? She didn't even need to be in the room to begin with. It was the choice to stop talking about the BoE that triggered her to leave.

"I found my sister in the kitchen, watching the kettle scream. 'He’s not staying for tea,' I said. No sign of Nuala or Cerridwen. Elain simply removed the kettle from the heat." Alluding to Elain's internal world

In ACOFAS, it is often debated if Elain and Nesta even still have their powers. Elain confirms that they in ACOSF. "But Elain had confirmed it for everyone: both sisters still possessed their Cauldron-gifted powers."

"She scanned Elain from head to toe, wondering if she’d been taking lessons in stealth either from Azriel or the two half-wraiths she called friends. Gone was the ill-suited black dress from the ball, replaced by a gown of amethyst velvet, her hair half-up and curling down to her waist. She glowed with good health. Except … Her brown eyes were wary. Usually, that look was reserved for Lucien."

Wary - being careful, cautious, and on your guard because you expect danger, risk, or a problem

"Elain, the wretch, had taken the seat between Feyre and Varian, about as far from Lucien as she could get."

"He and Lucien did not exchange gifts, though the male had brought a gift for Feyre and one for his mate, who barely thanked him after opening the pearl earrings. Cassian’s heart strained at the pain etching deep into Lucien’s face as he tried to hide his disappointment and longing. Elain only shrank further into herself, no trace of that newfound boldness to be seen."

So, why does Elain express reluctance towards Lucien and the mate bond? Here are my thoughts:

1. Accepting the bond is to fully let go of her humanity.
2. If she only gets visions when Lucien is around, then that may make her have to confront her faeness, which she seems to want to avoid.
3. She seems to see some kind of danger around Lucien that is making her wary. (I don't think Lucien is dangerous, I just think that she sees something in his future that she maybe misunderstands)

Firstly, this post will have spoilers for the Maasverse. IDK how to do the black thing.

This is hardly a shipping post, I just like this sub better than the main sub. I have so much to write about, but my thoughts are a scramble. I just reread ACOTAR and read CC for the first time. I have read ToG before, love it, but have not taken upon the task of rereading it yet. That to be said, I have a lot to say right now.

Firstly, I am doing a Lucien deep dive and started rereading ACOTAR again for the 2nd time this last month. In ACOTAR, Feyre makes an observation about Lucien's sword and it just seemed important. We know that Amarantha supposedly threw a Made sword called Narben into the sea because it did not answer to her. "'Again, it was a rumor, heard from someone who heard it from someone. Who knows if she actually found Narben? Even if it would not obey her, she’d have been a fool to throw it away.'” (ACOSF pg 450 Kindle) Narben means 'scar'. No one actually knows what happened to this sword, but I think Lucien might have it. His uses his sword to kill Dagdan/Brannagh and he also is able to fight/hold off two of his brothers in ACOWAR prior to Azriel's help with his magic suppressed by faebane. I find this scene funny by the way, because Feyre's inner monologue is glazing Azriel, like Lucien's brothers must be very powerful if they're putting up such a fight for Az. And I'm like girl what, Lucien's been holding them both off for how long before Azriel came? Like maybe wonder how powerful Lucien is? Plus, Lucien killed one of his brothers back when they slaughtered Jesminda, Tamlin killed the other. It's also implied in ACOWAR that there were signs Lucien was being chosen by the magic as Autumn Court High Lord. Which is interesting, given his parentage. May Lady of Autumn is the true power in Autumn? Or the magic simply chooses. With Lucien's character, I do believe he is actually on a path to High King, and I believe Lucien is a Prythian version of Taran from Chronicles of Pydrain, which SJM is borrowing from. She even said in an interview she wishes that she could read that series again as if she is reading it for the first time. The reason I believe Lucien is SJM's Taran character is because of the Book of Three prophecy and how narratively it best fits Lucien. In Chronicles of Prydain, the High King of Prydain is one with no station in life, would slay a serpent (really slay the evil death lord who shapeshifts into a serpent), gain and lose a flaming sword, and choose a kingdom of sorrow over a kingdom of happiness (the last part is deeper than it sounds in the Chronicles of Prydain). I don't think we have seen the entire prophecy come to light, but the stage has been set. Lucien clearly best fits not having station in life out of all characters. Exile from Autumn, cast out from Spring, mistreated in Night Court, unrecognized heir of Day, emissary to mortal realms. Personality wise, I'd argue he is the most level headed, diplomatic, fit for a GOOD High King character in the entire narrative.

Looking up Narben led me to Chronicles of Pydrain, actually. Because Narben is a Made sword, like Gwydion and Truth Teller. So then I looked up Gwydion and found there is a character in Chronicles of Pydrain named Prince Gwydion, and he possesses a powerful sword called Darnwyn, which is a black sword but When drawn by a worthy or well-born man, the entire blade would blaze with white fire "'Narben was even older than Gwydion,' Rhys said. 'Where the hell was it?' 'I don’t know, but she found it, and when it would not bend to her, she destroyed it. As she did all good things.' It was as much as Amren would say about that terrible time. 'It was perhaps in our favor. Had the King of Hybern possessed Narben, I fear we would have lost the war.'" (ACOSF pg 450 Kindle). I think there is an element of Goldbryn from ToG in this sword, but I also think it can be the same sword Lucien possesses, given the light Feyre often describes when she sees him wield it. I don't think everything in our Prythian will be exactly like the other books, I just think it's heavily inspired. Even more so because they all use Welsh Mythology. Interestingly enough, when I searched Gwydion it pulled up two books - Chronicles of Prydain and Mists of Avalon. Given I just finished Crescent City, I'm over here like Chronicles of Prythian and the Mists of Avallen. Mists of Avallen is like King Arthur but from the female perspective. The major plotline being Morgaine, a priestess of the old Pagan religion, trying to preserve it while the rise of Christianity threatens to replace it - Jesiba Roga as Morgaine, anyone, loosely? It's a lot to explain but the mists around Avallen in CC and the mists around Avalon operate very similarly and connect to lots of broader similar themes in both novels. Gwydion is also a character in the Mists of Avalon (and he is not called Gwydion in true Arthurian legend, he's just Mordred), so cool the name is in both books, but the sword is found in Avallen. Gwydion is actually Mordred in the book, and it's pretty symbolic that Ruhn uses the sword to kill his own father in Crescent City, given the Gwydion/Mordred storyline in Mists of Avalon. (there's also a character named Ruhn in Chronicles of Pydrain, but I'd have to actually read the series to determine if there are any glaring similarities). Don't want to spoil Mists of Avalon. Why choose the name Gwydion? Well, I think SJM started with Chronicles of Pydrain as her inspiration for everything, even ToG to an extent (the big bad being Arawn / Erawan and the female protagonist being Eilowny / Aelin). Both novels utilize Welsh mythology, and that's where the larger scope importance of the name Gwydion comes in. In Welsh myth, Gwydion is the ultimate master of the hud (magic, glamor, illusion). In the Mabinogion, Gwydion is a figure who exists to rebel against authority. The name Gwydion is heavily associated with the forest (often translated as "born of trees"). Furthermore, Gwydion's kingdom in Welsh myth is Gwynedd. The root word Gwyn means "white," "fair," "bright," or "blessed". I'll talk about Gwyn in a separate post. After my reread and my first read of Crescent City, I am leaning more towards Gwyn and Az as endgame. I think Gwyn is connected to Dusk somehow.

So we know Narben, we know Gwydion, but what is Truth-Teller's real name? Will we learn it? Why are these blades twins? Have we seen these blades be truly wielded yet? I think if anything the true name of Truth Teller is Fragarach (although I think SJM will really make it a name that is clearly inspired by that one). In Celtic mythology, Fragarach is a blade that prevents one from lying and contained the power of the wind. It also belonged to a sea god, Mannann Mac Lir. I don't want to speculate too much on the name, as we do not know it. But I do know Truth Teller is only what Az calls it.

I also want to share a thought. It seems that lots of people think Asteri/Daglan/Valg are all one in the same, but I think it goes further than that. The Asteri rely on the magic of others, they do not possess their own - "Without the firstlight, without the people of Midgard and every other planet they’d bled dry … without the power of the people, these Asteri fuckers were nothing." (CC pg 785 Kindle). Valg, on the other hand, do possess their own powers, hence Maeve in ToG. They're very very powerful. I don't have access to ToG for quotes. Firstly, I think there is more to Vesperus and Hesperus and why there are two evening stars, but my thoughts on that are still confused.

"'Where did you come from, before you arrived here?'
Vesperus folded her hands in her lap. 'A planet that was once green, as this one is.'

'And that wasn’t good enough?'

'We grew too populous. Wars broke out between the various beings on our world. Some of us saw the changes in the land beginning—rivers run dry, clouds so thick the sun could not pierce them—and left. Our brightest minds found ways to bend the fabric of worlds. To travel between them. Wayfarers, we called them. World-walkers.'" (HOFAS pg 253 Kindle)

I remember in ToG series, Maeve told Aelin that the land that the Valg came from was not always hideous, that it was once beautiful. She also said that once they left their home land, their inherent magic began to dwindle, which is why they require leeching off the magic of others - "'Once we left our home world, our powers began to dim. Too late, we realized that we had been dependent on our land’s inherent magic. The magic in other worlds was not potent enough." (HOFAS pg 253 Kindle).

Valg bleed black though, Polaris bled red "the droplets of Polaris’s blood rising upward like a red rain as Bryce shoved her blades deeper and deeper—" (HOFAS pg 748 Kindle)

Vesperus bled black "Vesperus’s red mouth opened in joy and triumph, but no sound came out. Only black blood." (HOFAS pg 259 Kindle)

This opens up a few questions. If world walking drained their magic, then why didn't Erawan or Maeve become less powerful doing it in ToG? Why are Vesperus and Hesperus bleeding differently? I think the Princes of Hel are Valg. Their, power, their home world, their pets... It screams Valg. The fact that their motives are unclear and Bryce admits to her mom she isn't even sure they're good. The fact Thanatos openly admits to once drinking magic like fine wine in HOSAB pg 416 Kindle "It has been a long while since a mortal fly buzzed all the way down to Hel. I will taste this one’s soul, as I once sipped from them like fine wine." And why I think the Princes of Hel are also Valg/Daglan "'The Daglan delighted in terrorizing the Fae and humans under their control. The Wild Hunt was a way to keep all of us in line. They’d gather a host of their fiercest, most merciless warriors and grant them free rein to kill as they pleased. The Daglan possessed mighty, monstrous beasts—hounds, they called them, though they didn’t look like the hounds we know—that they used to run prey to ground before they tortured and killed them. It’s a terrible history, and much of it might be elaborated myths.' 'The hounds looked like the beasts in the Hewn City,' Nesta said quietly. They all looked at her." ACOSF pg 556 Kindle.

And back on the swords, and more to why I think Lucien actually possesses Narben... I think Amarantha was Valg. Firstly, when she is killed, SJM never actually describes the color of her blood, just that Tamlin's beast form was covered in her blood, and that Lucien threw his sword to Tamlin to use it to kill her. She even wrote a cop out to not have to describe Amarantha's blood:

"'Tam!' Lucien cried over the chaos.

A sword hurtled through the air, a shooting star of steel.

Tamlin caught it in a massive paw. Amarantha's scream was cut short as he drove the sword through her head and into the stone beneath... Amarantha's blood had vanished from his face, his tunic, as Tamlin slammed to his knees." ACOTAR pg 405

And there's numerous times Lucien describes Amarantha as being sent from Hell. I don't think it's only being used as a turn of phrase. ACOTAR pg 87 is one example: "Lucien let out a harsh laugh. 'Something was sent from the shit-holes of Hell,' he said, then glanced around and swore. 'I shouldn't have said that. If word got back to her-'". He makes comments like that throughout the book, I'm not going to consolidate them all here as this is more of a loose rambling of various thoughts.

I'm just going to post some quick quotes about Lucien's sword:

"Until Lucien’s sword refracted the light of the sun leaking through the canopy. And then met flesh and bone. A tremor shuddered through the clearing—like some thread between the twins had been snipped as Brannagh’s dark head thudded onto the grass." ACOWAR pg 92 Kindle

"... and the jewels in the hilt of his sword glinted - the ornate blade so unlike the baldric of knives still strapped across Tamlin's chest. But there was no one here to use a sword against. And while the sword was embedded with jewels and filigree, it was large enough to be more than decoration." ACOTAR pg 78

I know many people theorize the sword on the cover of ACOWAR is TruthTeller, but I actually think it may be Lucien's sword. The hilt of the blade on the cover looks more like jewels and filigree. TruthTeller's blade. Truth Teller is described as sleek, dark, and minimalistic with a matte obsidian hilt. The hilt of the blade on the cover of ACOWAR, however, is pretty ornate, with obvious filigree and circles possibly representing jewels. And as previously stated I believe Lucien's sword is Narben I think Lucien is also responsible for spreading the rumors that Amarantha destroyed the blade, as Amren said she heard it from a water-nymph who heard it from someone else.

That's not all though. The star that Apollion ate was Sirius, the wolf star. In astrology, Sirius is notably known for being the brightest star that is known for disappearing for a period of time and then returning. As soon as I read that Sirius was the name of the star Apollion devoured, I felt that that may not be the end of it, or there has to be more to that storyline because of the mythology around Sirius. And it doesn't end there. Astrologically, Sirius is considered Orion's hunting dog, and the star Rigel (Rigelus) marks Orion's left foot. We know Hunt is Orion, and that he is essentially the test tube baby of Apollion/Thanatos. In Egyptian Mythology, Orion and Sirius represent the powerful, divine couple Osiris (Sah) and Isis (Sopdet). The three bright stars of Orion's belt were often envisioned as the crown atop Osiris's head (the 3 bright stars above Ramiel? The Night Court emblem?). Isis is Goddess of magic and fertility. Orion and Sirius disappear from the night sky for 70 days (Heliatic visibility), and Ancient Egyptians believed the gods were traveling through Duat (the underworld). Sirius' return to the sky also coincides with the annual flooding of the Nile. The next book we're getting for Crescent City, most likely House of Many Waters, as we still need to answer to the Ocean and River Queens. But what's the relevance of Sirius and what does it have to do with Bryce and Hunt? Well, Bryce often is wondering the difference between her star and the Asteri's. I wish I highlighted all the times Bryce contemplated the origin of her (which is Theia's) star. It is known that Apollion devoured Sirius though in the same war that Theia died. I don't want to confidently say that maybe the source of Theia's light was the star Sirius, and thus is the same light that Bryce bares, but that is the direction my mind is heading. And with the three parts of Theia's light, and my hypothesis, Sirius, united (aka returned) as of HOFAS, the next book would theoretically foreshadow Lunathion (haha Luna) getting flooded, just like the Nile floods upon Sirius' return. Probably a bunch of mumbo jumbo.

Alright, so the next thing I want to loosely talk about is the 3 Valg Kings, Orcus, Erawan, and Mantyx. Erawan should be dead. Maeve supposedly used her Wyrdkeys to banish Orcus and Mantyx to the Valg home world. I think that typically SJM is alluding to some type of existing lore when she comes up with names, or at least uses relevant etymology to develop names. Erawan when alluded to Arawn, is based on the Welsh king of the Otherworld. Orcus is another underworld ruler. But Mantyx relates to nothing. The most interesting thing I found is that it may be based off root word Mantis, which means prophet, seer, one who divines. Now, I don't want to conclude that Elain is possessed by Mantyx, or what exactly the Cauldron gave her. I do know that SJM finished Throne of Glass, specifically Kingdom of Ash in 2018. We learned the brothers names then. She has been writing ACOTAR since 2009. ACOMAF and ACOWAR were written 2015/2016. She was still finishing the last 3 Throne of Glass books during that time. So some people might be like it's just a coincidence, or she wrote ToG before ACOTAR so wasn't even thinking about it, but she was writing them at the same time. It could also be a coincidence. I don't want to speculate too much on how Orcus and Mantyx can reenter the narrative.

I also wonder where the Pegasus come from at the end of HOFAS. Bryce interprets the Pegasus being led into rivers of starlight as the old Fae of Avallen drowning them. "They didn’t tell the story that Silene’s carvings had narrated—there was no mention of a slumbering evil beneath their feet. Just a river of starlight, into which the long-ago Fae had apparently dragged those pegasuses and drowned them." pg 480. But then at the end of the book dozens of pegasuses are revealed to be alive. I hypothesize that the rivers of starlight were a way of saving them, not killing them, and the starlight may be a portal to another realm. Maybe perhaps that pool of starlight in the Spring Court? "'The miniature pegasus,' Nesta said, 'was an illusion. And is now back in his make-believe meadow.'" ACOSF pg 620

Also, Morrigan. In folklore she is the Badb (the Battle Crow), the Nemain (the Frenzy), and the Macha (She is tied to sovereignty, land, and fertility, as well as the intense power and frenzy of horses and battle. She embodies the life-giving and authoritative qualities of the earth). I don't know where Mor's story is going, but in ACOMAF, at the cabin she drew a picture of herself 3 times and then the bat boys. This is compelling because she is based off a three faced God. It becomes more interesting when a character like Vassa, who hails from Scythia:

"Mor said to Rhys, 'What information do we have on this sixth queen?'

'Little,' Azriel answered for him. 'We know little. Young—somewhere in her mid-twenties. Scythia lies along the wall, to the east. It’s smallest amongst the human queens’ realms, but rich in trade and arms. She goes by Vassa, but I never got a report with her full name.'

'Scythia,' Mor said, shaking her head. “I remember them. They’re horse people. A mounted cavalry could travel far faster—'" ACOWAR pg 336. Also, IC has a pattern of preventing Mor from going to the Mortal realms and engaging with the queens despite her offering numerous times? Why? What are they hiding from Mor?

And then you also have Bryaxis and seemingly connect Bryaxis to Mor in ACOFAS. Bryaxis fits the folklore description of the Badb+the Frenzy. I don't know where it's going to go, but I'm drawing my red lines to photos on a chalkboard lol.

I'm just going to rapid fire some Gwyn stuff

• Gwyn has some type of magic that make NESTA'S scary power grumble "The priestess drew up to her full height, which was slightly taller than average for Fae females. A crackling sort of energy buzzed around her, and Nesta’s power grumbled in answer." ACOSF pg 113
• Gwyn and Nesta both wake up earlier than the Illyrians on the Blood Rite. Nesta's assumes at first she woke earlier because we was Made, but after she learns of Gwyn she ASSUMES it's because they're not Illyrian. I theorize it has something to do with Dusk Court. And I think Dusk story will take us into whatever is going on inside Ramiel. I think Gwyn is a Dusk fae with starborn power. We know that the power Nesta stole from the Cauldron is also related to Dusk Court.
• Blood Rite is also related to Dusk Court because of the 8-Pointed Star. Nesta calls in her bargain "“I want you to leave. Go up to the House of Wind for the night. Do not speak to me until I come talk to you, or until a week has passed. Whichever comes first. I don’t care....Nesta remained on the quay as her spine tingled, and she knew her tattoo had vanished." ACOSF pg 643. This is the bargain she calls in that causes her tattoo to vanish. What about the bargain causes her tattoo to vanish? The only thing that makes sense is the fact that she spends the week doing the Blood Rite on Ramiel.
• The pegasus liked Gwyn best. And where are the pegasus from? "According to legend, the pegasuses had come from the island the Prison sat upon—had once fed in fair meadows that had long given way to moss and mist. Perhaps that was part of the decline: their homeland had vanished, and whatever had sustained them there was no longer." ACOSF pg 420 and "'The miniature pegasus,' Nesta said, 'was an illusion. And is now back in his make-believe meadow.' 'He loved Gwyn most,' Emerie teased. 'Despite your efforts to woo him.'" ACOSF pg 620. Lots of people think Nesta is destined to be Queen of Dusk, but she stole that power. The pegasus loved Gwyn most. And of course, Crescent City confirmed the pegasus are Dusk creatures.
• "The priestess’s eyes glittered with amusement, as if aware of Nesta’s plan. 'Gwyneth Berdara.' Unusual, for these Fae to use family names. Even Rhys didn’t use one, as far as Nesta knew." ACOSF 112 I'm sorry but if Gwyn is an unimportant side character, why is she getting a last name?
• I'm going to write a separate post on why I think Gwynriel is endgame, because there's actually a lot to support it.

Anyway, there's my ramble.

When I first read the books back in 2023, I vividly remember a scene where Feyre looks out to observe Elain in the garden and notices that Elain keeps moving to the spots where the sunlight is. When I first read the books, I read a print version that is like dark gray and has the colors entwining it.

I just finished my reread, but I did so with the kindle. And I cannot for the life of me find this quote!

I could have sworn it was in ACOWAR

I really hope it's not a bonus chapter and I seriously do not think I imagined it because that quote is why I completely sold on Elucien end game from when I first read the series.

I am not inclined to reread the physical version of the book again just to find it. I wonder if anyone also remembers this observation?

Post will contain spoilers. I don't know how to do the thing to hide them.

I just started reading this series, and am about halfway through the 2nd book

I am coping with the Micah twist.

I actually thought he and Bryce would end up together for a multitude of reasons:

Firstly, I don't really understand how she got to the alley in her state. Adrenaline I guess bt the way I viewed it most of the book was that she was actually going to end up mates with the angel she saved (Micah) and was actually following the thread. (I reread this whole scene by the end and don't know why I had the impression, I guess I just shipped them the whole time).

"She sobbed then, and the angel’s limp fingers brushed against her torn knee. As if in comfort." (pg 66) - this interaction just doesn't make any sense by then end, and I don't think it even gets reconciled during his villain speech? Although, I guess it wouldn't get reconciled because when she learns it was Micah that he apparently has no memory of that day. Which I guess was a lie? I read that comforting touch as romantic foreshadowing, but I guess does it just mean nothing and was only Bryce's perception in the end? If that's the case, I just feel like the interaction is unnecessary to include.

Again in the alley "The angel’s gaze met hers, so full of agony she thought it was what her soul must look like." (67) I probably read too deep into that, but I felt like that was mate talk, like his pain put her own soul in agony. Though I get that she was probably generally in pain herself.

"“But the kristallos pinned Micah, ripped open his chest—” She nearly tripped over the curb, and whipped around to gape at him. “That was Micah?” (249)
"Her blood roared in her ears. “Why not tell me, though? I looked in all the hospitals, just to see if he’d made it.” More than that, actually. She’d demanded answers about how the warrior was recovering, but she’d been put on hold or ignored or asked to leave." (250) - I guess it's really not implied that he had no memory of the incident but that he just didn't want to talk about it. But then again, why not reconcile it in the end?

"“So? Just because I saved his life, that doesn’t mean I’m destined to be his girlfriend. It’d be like banging a statue anyway.”" (315) - because my dumb ass thought that they were mates, I read this as foreshadowing and guess I should have taken it at face value

Heck, maybe the whole point was then that a half breed not only saved his life but also took his life. But then why make so many tries to make him redeemable?

Their first interaction in person:

"The Archangel was gorgeous. Horrifically, indecently gorgeous."

"Fucking Hel, his voice—silk and steel and ancient stone. He could probably make someone come by merely whispering filthy things in their ear."

"She didn’t know much about Micah’s history—had never paid attention during history class, too busy drooling over the unfairly perfect face currently before her to listen to her teacher’s droning."

"One of his pristine white feathers brushed her bare collarbone. She might have shuddered—were it not for the two angels behind him."

"the weight of his gaze pressed on her like a silken blanket. “I’m fine.” Bryce looked to Hunt and Isaiah, who slid into their chairs. “They’re fine, too,” Micah said."

"Bryce had the nerve to ask, “What about the angel in the alley?” Micah’s face remained unchanged. “He had no memories of the attack. It was an ambush.”" (later find out it was him)

"Micah’s stare turned merciless, though. He scanned Hunt from head to toe. Then the gallery beneath their booted feet. The assistant within it. Micah growled, 'Keep your dick in your pants and your hands to yourself. Or you’ll find yourself without either for a long while.'"

I get that Archangel's are beautiful, and any attraction she felt towards Micah "turned to rot" after she saw Hunt's slave tattoo. (I will delve deeper into that though, because Micah is regularly made redeemable even in the text - until the end obviously)

Micah characterization as a "slave owner":

"“He doesn’t scheme like that.” Like Sandriel and most of the other Archangels. “He means what he says. He’s got to be desperate, if he wants to give you that kind of motivation.”

"Isaiah said carefully, “Tell me you realize that Micah threw you another big fucking bone just now in stationing you to protect Quinlan instead of keeping you around the Comitium with Sandriel there.” (Hunt's response to this is just whiny baby, which is how I read him as a character in general. He just generally doesn't think outside his own worldview - hence how he treats Baxian and Hind later, who also had to behave a certain way like he did because of their situation)

"I’m one breath away from telling this city how your slaves cannot even stay in line. I’m sure your current guest will be highly interested in that little fact.”

"“Please,” Bryce whispered. And perhaps it was sympathy that softened the Archangel’s face as Micah said, “Those are old traditions..." 573

"She didn’t hear Micah telling her how the alternative was Hunt being dead—officially and irrevocably dead." 576

"“Micah went easy on him,” Ruhn said when she stopped by at lunch, toying with one of his earrings. “Really fucking easy. Sabine had the right to call for his death.” As a slave, Hunt had no rights whatsoever. None." 581

"The Governors swept up the stairs, their wings nearly touching. Why the two of them hadn’t become a mated pair was beyond Hunt. Micah was decent enough that he likely found Sandriel as abhorrent as everyone else did. But it was still a wonder the Asteri hadn’t ordered the bloodlines merged. It wouldn’t have been unusual. Sandriel and Shahar had been the result of such a union." 656

Also, the fact that Hunt has to earn his freedom for leading his people into war following Shahar who according to Hunt never even told him she loved him and was possibly equally bloodthirsty as Sandriel. Hunt can be considered responsible for tons of deaths, and Micah doesn't even make him kill demons and bad people that often, considering he's only on 82 of 2200 by the time we are introduced to Hunt. It's portrayed both as a mercy and punishment to prolong his enslavement but each time Hunt kills - even bad people - it depresses him.

Anyway, he was portrayed as going easy on Hunt, being generally a decent, redeemable Archangel, and I cannot get over the alley situation because it's never actually reconciled why he was even there in the end. I just don't buy an Archangel getting nearly killed by the demon when Hunt and Flynn/Dec/Ruhn easily kill it. Unless it's related to the whole "summoner could wind up dead"(204) thing to imply the summoning of the demon somehow went bad and that's why he ended up in the alley predicament that he did.

But why does his face soften for Bryce sometimes and why did he comfort her in the alley? Like his whole characterization seems thrown out the window by the end.

Elain's hair styling is insight to her internal world.

"Where Nesta had been in contented silence before we found her, Elain’s silence was … hollow. Empty. Her hair was down—not even braided. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen it unbound. She wore a moon-white silk dressing robe." ACOWAR ch. 15

"The faelights gilded Elain's unbound hair, making her glow like the sun at dawn." (Az bonus chapter)

I am doing a reread of a court of wings and ruin in full. I just reached the scene when Feyre sees Elain for the first time since the Cauldron. Elain usually has her hair styled, braided. Her hair being unbound is a sign of her unhappiness and depression. This context clue makes me dislike Az's internal monologue even more in the bonus chapter. Her unbound hair for him is just another marker of her beauty. But for her, it is a sign of her depression and a reflection of her apathy towards her existence. For a loving relationship I'd expect more monologue about what's going on in her world, and less monologue about what her body can do for him.

The idea that anyone in the Night Court could potentially be a traitor had not crossed my mind until yesterday when I was debating with someone in another sub whether or not Mor painted herself 3x (as the Morrigan is a 3 faced Irish goddess of war, death, and fate) or the Archeron sisters in the cabin in ACOMAF. Which eventually led to whether SJM will be doing a Koschei the Deathless retelling, or Stravinsky's Firebird Ballet retelling.

Anyway, in Stravinsky's Firebird Ballet, the main character Ivan is trying to free his beloved Tsarevna from the trance she is in that makes her believe that she is in love with Koscheii (a death God). In order to do so, he receives help from a Firebird that helps him find Koscheii's soul in an egg. And this got me thinking, what if Elain is in a trance similar, and that trance made me contemplate whether that trance is making her believe she is in love with Azriel (Azrael = Angel of Death), and push Lucien further and further away. Thus Azriel may be related to Koscheii, possessed by him, working for him, etc. That was the thought that started it, which motivated me to reread ACOMAF to see if there was any evidence of Azriel being shifty or untrustworthy or conveniently away just before certain events happen.

Disclaimer - I have only used ACOMAF for this, as I do not have my copies of ACOWAR/ACOFAS/ACOSF. I loaned them to a family member who is going to return them soon. Also, I am aware of confirmation bias. I did this reread in 11 hours yesterday so I may have missed some explanations. And yes I am aware that there being a traitor in the Night Court is not the only explanation.

Alright, for starters, Feyre's first impressions of Azriel are on edge and seem to conclude is really the most dangerous of the Inner Circle:

"The midnight voice said with a quiet cold that licked down my spine, 'As do I.'" (pg 138) Cold, like death

"But the second male, the more classically beautiful of the two... Even the light shied from the elegant planes of his face. With good reason. Beautiful, but near-unreadable. He'd be the one to look out for- the knife in the dark." (pg 158) foreshadowing

"Rhys said, 'This is Azriel - my spymaster.' Not surprising. Some buried instinct had me checking that my mental shields were intact. Just in case." (pg 158) foreshadowing

"I took Azriel's hand, and his rough fingers squeezed mine. His skin was as cold as his face. But the word Cassian had used a moment ago snagged my attention as I released his hand and tried not to look too eager to step back to Rhys's side. 'You're Brothers?'" (pg 158-159) cold like death, but she doesn't think too much on his coldness because she was distracted by whether or not they're really brothers

"Across from me, a cocoon of silence seemed to pulse around Azriel, even as the others dug into their food." (page 165) cold, possible protection against detection

"I cleared my throat, straightening, and said to Azriel, who, shadows or no, seemed the safest and therefore was probably the least so" (pg 167-168) foreshadowing

"What other horrors had he endured before he was sent to that mountain-camp?" (pg 191) makes reader contemplate where he was and what his life was like before the Illyrian camp

"As a faerie... I couldn't see (the wall), but I could hear it crackling with power... 'It's abhorrent, isn't it,' Azriel said, his low voice nearly swallowed up by the wind....'I don't really know where I fit in anymore,' I admitted... 'I've been alive almost five and a half centuries, and I'm not sure of that, either,' Azriel said. I tried to pull back to read the beautiful, icy face, but he tightened his grip, a silent warning to brace myself." (pg 241) Firstly, Feyre randomly decided to fly to the mortal realms with Az instead of Rhys and I think SJM chose to do this to give us Az's opinion on the wall. His opinion on the wall and feeling that he still doesn't belong in the Night Court is MOTIVE to align with the King of Hybern or someone else who wants to bring down the wall. Author also makes a point to not allow Feyre to see Az's face when he makes these comments.

Also, Azriel and Mor have a very interesting relationship and interactions with each other:

"It was almost enough to distract me from noticing Azriel as those shadows lightened, and his gaze slid over Mor's body:" (pg 160)

"A wisp of shadow curled around Azriel's ear, and his eyes snapped to mine. I schooled my face in bland innocence." (pg 160)

"The lurking shadows vanished entirely as Azriel's head dipped a bit - his night dark hair sliding over his handsome face as if to shield him from that mercilessly beautiful grin." (pg 161)

"'...But Azriel confirmed that they raided the memorial in Sangravah three days ago. They're looking for something - or found it.' Azriel nodded in confirmation, even as Mor cast a surprised look in his direction. Azriel gave her an apologetic shrug back."(pg 180)

"Yes - Azriel, who kept a step away, whose shadows trailed him and seemed to fade in her presence." (pg 239)

"She took a breath, and I could have sworn Azriel inched closer at the sound. But Mor blazed on." (pg 388) This was while Mor was telling the mortal queens about Miryam.

"Mor's voice cracked, and again Azriel subtly shifted nearer to her, though his face revealed nothing." (pg 388) Still telling the mortal queens and Miryam.

"'We could try again,' Mor said. 'Let me speak to them, let me go to their palace-' 'No,' Azriel said. Mor raised her brows and a faint color stained Azriel's tan face. But his features were set, his hazel eyes solid. 'You're not setting foot in that human realm.' 'I fought in the War, you will do well to remember-' 'No,' Azriel said again, refusing to break her stare. His shifting wings rasped against the back of his chair. 'They would string you up and make an example you.' 'They'd have to catch me first.' 'That palace is a death trap for our kind,' Azriel countered, his voice low and rough. 'Built by Fae hands to protect humans from us. You set foot inside it Mor, and you won't walk out again. Why do you think we've had such trouble getting a foothold in there?'"(pg 391-392) This is immediately after Rhys acknowledged that they shouldn't really scheme to get the book, I wonder if Mor's expressions have more to possibly detecting lies from Azriel rather than his desire to protect her.

"Mor slid up to the spymaster, running a proprietary hand over his shoulders, his chest, as she circled to look into his face. Az's scar-mottled hand wrapped around her bare waist - squeezing once. The confirmation she also needed...She offered him a little grin... Az just stared after Mor, distant and bored" (pg 416)

Something that also stood out to me was that Azriel worked for Rhysand's father, even allowed Rhys to be harshly punished. Rhysand's father was not a good person:

"Cassian snickered. 'So the prick separated us... Az, he kept for himself as his personal shadowsinger- mostly for spying and his dirty work'" (pg 175)

"'... So my father rescued me - and told his men, told Azriel, to leave the ash spikes in my wings as punishment for getting caught..." (pg 518)

Another thing I found potentially relevant is that Azriel volunteered himself to go both to the Bone Carver and Feyre's internal monologue made and interesting comment about Az's bloodline when discussing the Weaver. This is interesting because Koscheii, Bone Carver, and the Weaver are siblings and if I recall correctly, Bone Carver expressed in ACOWAR how he was hiding from his siblings in the prison. Obviously Azriel is aware is he there, but "Only (Rhys's) blood is keyed to the gates"(193). We don't see Az go to the prison until ACOSF, after the Bone Carver already died in ACOWAR.

"'...Go to the Prison. Talk to the Bone Carver.' ... Azriel just shook his head. 'I'll go. The Prison sentries know me - what I am.' I wondered if the shadowsinger was usually the first to throw himself into danger. Mor's fingers stilled on the stem of her wineglass, her eyes narrowing on Amren. The jewels, the red gown- all perhaps a way to downplay whatever dark power roiled in her veins-" (pg 180) Mor's power is truth related, and she can tell when someone is genuine. I wonder if her reaction here implied Az having alternative motives to seeing the Bone Carver.

"'Where?' I managed to say. It was Azriel who answered. 'To the Weaver.'... 'Who is the Weaver?' I pushed. 'An ancient, wicked creature,' Azriel said, and I surveyed the faint scars on his wings, his neck, and wondered how many such things he'd encountered in his immortal life. If they were any worse than the people who shared blood ties with him. 'Who should remain unbothered,' he added in Rhy's direction. 'Find another way to test her abilities." (pg 207, 208) Interesting to bring up blood ties to Azriel in the same sentence? Possible hint of him being Koscheii?

I also found the back and forth between whether or not to allow Azriel to spy on the mortal queens. I found it weird to ultimately allow him to given he ended up being the reason the mortal queens did not trust Rhysand (since his spying made them seem to affirm what they believed about Rhysand) but also because the book had to be freely given and they didn't know what magic surrounded it that would jeopardize that. I was shocked he changed his mind to allow Az to spy on the Queens. They learned the book must be freely given back in chapter 18 when the Bone Carver told them:

"So Rhys told them of the Cauldron... Azriel emerged from his wreathing shadows to ask the most questions; his face and voice remained unreadable... When Rhys was done, his spymaster said, 'I'll contact my sources in the Summer Court about where the half of the Book of Breathings is hidden. I can fly into the human world myself ...' 'We're not taking risks where this is concerned,' Rhys merely said. He held Azriel's stare, and I could almost hear the silent words Rhys added, It is no judgement nor reflection on you, Az. Not at all. But Azriel yielded no tinge of emotion as he nodded, his hands unfurling." (pg 205)

"Once Azriel returns from dealing with the Attor, he's to put his other skillset to use and infiltrate the mortal queens' courts to learn where they're keeping it - and what their plans might be..." (pg 278)

"Hopefully, he'd gotten some rest after dealing with the Attor - and would rest a bit more before heading into the mortal realm to spy on those queens." (pg 279)

"Azriel, surprisingly, had returned from the mortal realm by lunch. Mor had intercepted him first, but I'd gotten a secondhand report from Rhys, that he'd found some sort of barrier around the queens' palace, and had needed to return to assess what might be done about it." (Pg 293)

"Azriel continued his attempt to infiltrate their courts- still to no avail. I heard about it mostly from Mor, who always knew when he'd return to the House of Wind, and always made a point to be there the moment he touched down. She told me little of the specifics - even less about how the frustration of not being able to get his spies or himself into those courts took a toll on him. The standards to which he held himself, she confided in me, bordered on sadistic." (Pg 376) Honestly, this makes the interaction between Mor and Az even more weird on 391 because he should have told her all of that stuff given she apparently is already in the know according to 376.

"'Two,' Rhys continued, 'Who knows if that would somehow impact the magic of their half of the Book. It must be given freely. It's possible the magic is strong enough to see our scheming."(pg 391) Then why are you letting Az scheme?

Also, the Attor actually was always a moment of weirdness to me. We interestingly had Rhys watching Az do the torture, and seeing his perspective of it. And then the Attor seems to be fine by the end of the book to fly in and drop the golden haired queen in Velaris - despite supposedly being made an example by Az. ACOMAF in it's entirety takes place over 4-6 months, and about 3 months of that passes by in the Spring Court at the beginning of the book since Feyre goes back and forth about three legit times before Tamlin locks her in, so the Attor was tortured and healed within no more than 3 months. (And yes, we can just say he was thrown into the Cauldron to heal him, hence the big Attor army):

"The Attor let out a low laugh. 'I received word from the king that's where you were. I don't know how he knew. I got the order, flew to the wall as fast as I could.'" (pg 275) The laugh seems almost mocking because he is getting tortured possibly by the informant himself

"There was an icy rage in Azriel I had never been able to thaw. In the centuries I'd known him, he'd said little about his life, those years in his father's keep, locked in darkness... His half brothers hadn't been forthcoming, either." (pg 275) Even Rhys doesn't really know much about Azriel before the Illyrian camp they had met at

"But I could not break my stare from the golden queen. Or from the Attor, who swept through the hold it had made and alighted atop the blood soaked lamppost."(Pg 562) I personally don't understand how he healed so fast unless we want to assume he was just thrown in the cauldron

Azriel and how he gets information with the wind:

"'...Perhaps the shadowsinger gift had come to him the, perhaps he'd taught himself the language of shadow, wind, and stone..." (pg 275)

"That had been Azriel's task these days: monitor the situation in the Spring Court, and prepare for our own attack on Hybern. But Tamlin had shut down his borders - sealed them so tightly that even flying overhead at night was impossible And any ears and eyes Azriel had once possessed in the court had gone deaf and blind." (pg 276)

And how, prior nearly every ambush, Feyre describes the wind:

"His laughed rumbled against me. Eyes closed, the wind roaring like a wild animal...Something dark and fast and sleek shot for us, and he plunged down and away, swearing. But another one, and another, kept coming...'Take her to the palace, and stay there until I'm back. Az, you're with me.' Cassian reached for me but I stepped away. 'No...I can track just as well on the ground as any of you.' Except for Azriel, maybe...'and I'll hunt on the ground with Azriel.'...We searched, but the missed arrows had been snatch up by our attackers- and even the shadows and wind told Azriel nothing, as if our enemy had been hidden from them as well." (Pg 400-403) Wind present at first ambush, meaning Azriel can communicate with it. Even re-established that Azriel can communicate using the wind. And it also establishes Azriel can move quicker on the ground than Feyre, thus completely plausible he retrieved the arrows himself and his the with his shadows. I feel that is a more rational explanation than the attackers somehow doing that with getting caught.

"...the shadowsinger was heading out to gather information and manage his spies stationed at the other courts and attempting to break into the human one...Mor had barely given Azriel more than a brief embrace before bidding him good-bye. And for all the world, the spymaster looked like he didn't care - until he gave me a swift, warning look. I was still torn between amusement and outrage at the assumption I'd stick my nose into his business. Indeed." (Pg 442) Azriel knows where Feyre will be but his interaction with Mor is interesting. Again, Mor would be able to detect if someone has ulterior motives. I think that may be why he becomes quite stiff and apathetic appearing around on numerous occasions. Mor also establishes that she was going to the camp on page 431, but that she was going to leave shortly after. This is just before they leave for the Illyrian camp and Lucien is tipped off to Feyre's location

"'You heard from my sisters?' A shake of the head. 'No, Azriel is checking today if they received a response. You and I...' The wind rustled his hair as he smirked, 'We're going to train.'"(pg 445) I did not add the dot dot dot to skip this time, SJM put an interruption to tell the readers there is wind, thus Azriel can communicate with it. And in the same paragraph acknowledging Azriel is probably currently travelling on the wind/shadows. Again, this is before Lucien is tipped off to Feyre's location.

"Azriel hadn't brought word from my sisters of the Queen's status, so we had time to spare. Though Rhys certainly hadn't looked like it when he informed me that morning...Mor had set off before I had even been awake (skipping lots of stuff here, just wanted to establish those two things).... The wind blew away from me, tugging my scent southward, deeper into the forest as I opened my mouth to tell Rhys to stay back. With that wind, and the roaring stream, it was no surprise that I didn't hear them until they had surrounded me." (Pg 454-455) Lucien and Spring Court men have located Feyre

"'Someone tipped us off you'd been out here, but it was luck that we had caught your scent on the wind, and-' Lucien took a step toward me." (Pg 457) We are never actually told who tipped him off. In fact, Feyre never questions it. Az just makes the most sense. Because he can communicate discreetly. With the wind. And the author keeps emphasizing the wind prior to the betrayals.

"Another clearing. Another day of playing with my power. Summoning wings, winnowing, fire and ice and water and - now wind. The wind and breezes that rippled across the sweeping valleys and wheat fields of the Day Court, then whipped up the snow capping their highest peaks." (Pg 477) On the day Feyre and Rhys are ambushed again, she was practicing the wind. On page 488, Rhys assumes that Hyberns soldiers are tracing his magic, but that is a guess. They never actually learn how they keep finding them. But the next quote really settles it for me.

"'A few mouthfuls will do.' A hollow, dry wind - not at all like the misty, cold veils that usually drifted past - brushed my face." (Pg 491) At this point SJM is like spelling it out for those paying attention but making it just subtle enough to miss it, or not even think about it. But this line Feyre is noticing that the winds she normally feels have something more to them. And describes them as cold veils (which matches Azriel's characterization as cold and veiled). This wind was hollow. Hollow means empty. Thus nobody is hiding in this wind. This is interpretation but such and interesting observation when added to everything else. This occurs when she is talking to the Suriel.

"The house is warded, so no one can win now in. No one can get beyond this point, actually, without our family's permission.' Mor stepped ahead, snow crunching under her boots. Without the wind, the day was mild enough to remind me..." (Pg 498) I'm including this quote to emphasize there was no wind at the cabin Feyre stays at for a while. It is mentioned that there is none after making it clear no one can ambush her and without the wind, Az can use it to find her location (that is my theory).

Azriel disobeys Rhys:

"Hopefully (Azriel) had gotten some rest after dealing with the Attor - and would rest a bit more before heading into the mortal realms to spy on those queens....'Wraiths,' I twisted in the seat before the vanity. 'I thought they were High Fae,'... 'Why do you think they're now whispering in Azriel's ear that I'm in here?' 'I thought they answered to Rhys.' 'They answer to both, but they were trained by Azriel first.'...'Rhys told them time and again not to, but I don't think Azriel will ever trust me fully. So they're reporting on my movements. And with good reason.' 'Why?' 'Why not? I'd be disappointed if Rhysand's spymaster didn't keep tabs on me. Even go against orders to do so.' 'Rhys doesn't punish him for disobeying?" (Pg 279)

The Jurian question... I can't go into this too much because I don't have ACOWAR, and including the Jurian stuff specifically from the end of ACOMAF would have to be its own post. However, we all know as of ACOWAR that Jurian was actually never on the King of Hyberns side. Anyway, there was a moment earlier in the book that even the main characters reacted to weird:

"But Azriel said, 'Even if the book can nullify the Cauldron...there's Jurian to contend with.' We all looked at him. 'That's the piece that doesn't fit,' Azriel clarified, tapping a scarred finger on the table. 'Why resurrect him in the first place? And how does the king keep him bound? What does the king have over Jurian to keep him loyal?'"(pg 361) Azriel, if he really is a traitor and working for the King of Hybern, and Jurian, who was the same but in reverse, would be suspicious to Azriel. I highlight diction that implied it was intriguing to even bring Jurian up to everyone else.

There is also a question Feyre asks Rhys that was interestingly timed when he is telling her about his past with Tamlin. Given everything else I have found, it may imply maybe Azriel also betrayed Rhys's mom and sister:

"...I taught (Tamlin) some Illyrian techniques.' 'Did anyone know?'...'Cassian and Azriel knew...'"(pg 448) Now I did check online if Tamlin and Rhys talk about this in ACOFAS and apparently Tamlin did ask him about if something had to do with his mother and sister, but this is again just speculative and I feel like even pausing to ask the audience if anyone else could have known and been responsible is very purposeful to then question if it was really Tamlin responsible for their murders.

It's Azriel's soldiers who were talked with protecting Feyre's sisters. SJM goes out of the way to tell us that Azriel's soldiers are in charge of their protection. And yet the sisters still end up kidnapped and taken by Hybern:

"Should you choose to remain, a unit of my soldiers will be here within the hour to guard this place...The sentries will be here, and remain unseen and unfelt. They will look after themselves." (Pg 555)

"There was no word from my sisters, no report from Azriel's soldiers that they'd changed their minds." (Pg 557) SJM wants us to know that it was Azriel's soldiers, no word and no report are the same thing. She only added that to clarify whose soldiers.

And I am going to have this one last. When the attor army attacks Velaris, SJM ensures the reader knows Az is patrolling the shoreline. And that his where the wards get broken and the attor army flies in from. Az should have reasonably been able to warm them sooner:

"The next afternoon, Rhys was still gone, Amren was still buried in the book, Azriel off on a patrol of the city and nearby shoreline, and Cassian and I were - of all things - just finishing up an early afternoon performance of some ancient, revered Fae symphony" (pg 558)

"I paused, debating pushing him, but the river flowing beneath us shifter. Not a physical shifting. But...a tremor in the current, in the bedrock, in the skittering things crawling on it. Like ink dropped in water. Cassian instantly went on alert as I scanned the river, the banks on either side... The river beneath me remained steady, but I could feel it roiling, as if trying to flee from - 'From the sea,' I breathed. Cassian's gaze shot straight ahead, to the river before us, to the towering cliffs in the distance that marked the raging waves where it met the ocean. And there, on the horizon, a smear of black...I said 'You have to sound the alarm-"(pg 559-560) They came from the shoreline, which Az was patrolling

Anyway, that is what I found and maybe it doesn't prove Az is Koschei, possessed by Koschei or whatever. I do feel like this evidence can definitely suggest that he may have possibly been betraying them. I had a lot of fun compiling this. Very interested to hear everyone's thoughts and sorry I started to rush a bit towards the end here.

It is established they inexplicably feel drawn to each other by something in their soul. Hidden influence is not necessarily more freely chosen than known influence. In fact, one can argue known influence allows for even more agency.

The Azriel bonus chapter strongly suggests several things:

1. His shadows are companions of his, not burdens.
2. He deeply desires a mate and is envious of the mate bonds of others
3. He doesn't just feel unworthy of Elain, but together they are wrong. He lusts for her because she is beautiful and he wants a mate.
4. He is not over Mor, he is trying to move on.
5. He is comfortable with Gwynn

Firstly, his shadows nurture him:

"Sleep, they seemed to whisper in his ear. Sleep. 'I wish I could,' he answered silently. But sleep so rarely found him these days... So he slept only when his body gave out, and even then only for a few hours." His shadows beckon him to rest, knowing he is sleep deprived. This is a nurturing presence. They are looking out for him.

"But even the silence weighed too heavily, and though the shadows kept him company, as they always had, as they always would..." Azriel is feeling quiet alone, yet his shadows are his companions so he is never truly alone. This is Az's inner thoughts about his shadows and to keep someone company implies a soothing presence in loneliness. If they were negative, I'd expect language like the never let him be alone, language that would imply he'd want to be alone, not that he'd want company.

With this knowledge, we can confidently conclude that his shadows are viewed more as a positive than a negative in his eyes.

Secondly, Az is in a negative headspace. He is tired, horny, feels left out, envious of everyone's bonds:

"He was elated for his brother and yet... Azriel couldn't stop it. The envy in his chest. Of Cassian, and Rhys. He knew he'd be swallowed by it if he went up to his bedroom..." He wants what his brothers have, not because he believes he has found it himself.

"Because her mate had been in the family room and Azriel had needed to stay by the door the whole time because he couldn't stand the sight of it, the scent of their mating bond, and needed to have the option of leaving if it became too much." Firstly, my interpretation is that he is again envious of another mate bond. I don't believe it truly has to do with Elain as a person. I think Elain is the first person that has shown interest in Azriel, and softness to him, that he is more frustrated she has a mate. But with all else in this chapter, I truly believe his primary frustration is his own lack of a mating bond.

"'What if the Cauldron was wrong?' Rhysand blinked. 'What of Mor, Az?' Azriel ignored the question. 'The Cauldron chose three sisters. Tell me how it's possible that my two brothers are with two of those sisters, and yet the third was given to another.' Rhys' face drained of color. 'You believe you deserve to be her mate?" This isn't a question, as it is punctuated with a period. He is complaining like it is fact, entitlement. He is not genuinely asking Rhys. He feels owed the third sister. It is not that he feels particular intimacy with Elain. Physical attraction and intimacy are two different things. If he loved her, why not tell Rhys about your deep feelings about her, rather than your sense of entitlement to her? The author put the emphasis on deserve to stress the sense of being owed Elain. Given the context of the 3 brothers/3 sisters complaint from Az, we can infer Rhys is talking about the sense of entitlement and not that he believes Az is unworthy.

Elaine imagery:

"The faelights gilded Elain's unbound hair, making her glow like the sun at dawn." Elaine is regularly described with sunshine/light imagery, I think this description is just more evidence to her potential Day Court connections.

"Elaine sucked in a soft breath that whispered over his skin. His shadows skittered back at the sound. They'd always been prone to vanish when she was around." The connotation of skittered implies that the shadows nervously/erratically retreated from Elain. This phrasing implies his shadows may actually be afraid of her. This is in stark contrast to their later interaction with Gwynn, where his shadows are actual very social and calm. Given Az and his shadows are companions, and his shadows nurture him, I feel like it is safe to infer it may not be the most positive sign when his shadows retreat.

"The golden necklace seemed ordinary- its chain unremarkable, the amulet tiny enough that it could be dismissed as an everyday charm. It was a small, flat rose fashioned of stained glass, designed so that when held to the light, the true depth of the colors would become visible. A thing of secret, lovely beauty." This is honestly one of my favorite quotes from the whole chapter because I think it is super important for characterizing Elain from Az's gift. But first, Az describes two things in this chapter as a thing of secret, lovely beauty. The necklace itself, and Gwyn's smile. But this necklace I think says a lot about Elain. At the surface, people see her fascination with flowers (the rose). But it is when the light shines through the rose that really truly reveals it's beauty. In my opinion, this suggests Elain's future arc with Day Court, given all of the other sunlight imagery around her in ACOWAR.

I don't think it is fair to say Azriel is over Mor. In fact, I think it's implied his feelings are intense:

"'What of Mor, Az?' Azriel ignored the question." Rhysand asks this immediately after Az questions the Cauldron. This actually makes me contemplate if he really does have a mate bond with Mor. Azriel hasn't actually confronted this relationship and personally I infer some type of shame from him to ignore the question. I think Rhys asks about Mor after Az questions the Cauldron not only because of Az's 500 years of pining, but to ask that would also imply that his possible bond with Mor is wrong.

"'If Lucien finds out you're pursuing her, he has every right to defend their bond as he sees fit. Including invoking the Blood Duel.'... Despite being an outsider, Azriel had wanted to invoke it when he'd found Mor all those years ago. Had been ready to challenge both Beron and Eris to Blood Fuels and kill them both." To me, this implies that Azriel's feelings toward Mor are/were strong enough to feel inclined to invoke a battle you apparently invoke when you feel the duty to defend your mate.

With Elain, there is a sense of being wrong that I feels goes beyond personal unworthiness, especially given we don't get that same insecurity with Gwynn:

"He knew it was wrong."

"Wrong - it was so wrong. He didn't care."

"Such terrible things that it was a sacrilege for his fingers to touch her skin, tainting her with his presence. But he could have this. This one moment, and maybe a taste, and that would be it." He is talking about how his masturbates to her that it's terrible to touch her. He just wants to indulge in Elain. Nothing from the chapter implies to me that there is anything more than lust and physical attraction in his desire for her. I'd think with a mate it would feel right, complete, not terrible and wrong and unworthy. And no I don't think Azriel is too insecure to feel worthy, as we can juxtapose his inner monologue here with his later comfort and calm with Gwynn.

Az seems to primarily lust after Elain and this is evidenced by much of his own inner monologue, as well as Rhysand's frustration with him:

"'So you will leave Elain alone. If you need to fuck someone, go to a pleasure hall and pay for it.'"

"'Snarl all you want,' Rhys leaned back in his chair. 'But if I see you panting after her again, I'll make you regret it.'"

"He aimed for the training pit, giving in to the need to work off the temptation, the rage and frustration and writhing need."

These quotes on top of the earlier ones about his masturbation, fantasies, and not really thinking much about her beyond that just screams sexual frustration to me. And it really is not emotionally intimate in my opinion. But I get why people who love smut are into it. I am not.

There is a sense of calm with Gwynn, besides their own personal shame toward their first meeting:

"He found it already occupied, his shadows had not warned him." His shadows not warning him of Gwynn's presence suggest safety, calm.

"His shadows peering over his wings her... The young priestess smiled - and Azriel thought it might have been directed at his curious shadows."

"For a heartbeat, their gazes met. He blocked out the bloody memory that flashed... Her head ducked as if remembering it too." This suggests that while they talking they really are not looking each other in the eyes. There seems to be a sense of avoidance given the events at Sangravah and the trauma. It's important to note because the mate bond for a male seems to snap when their eyes interlock (Elucien, Feysand UTM, not sure about Nessian)

"'Happy Solstice's she said, as much a dismissal as it was a holiday blessing. He snorted. 'Are you kicking me out?'...'I know you like to be alone...is that why you came up here?' Sort of. 'I forgot something.'" There's playfulness and light teasing. It's sweet and a nice change from the angst earlier. Az also seems to be enjoying her company, hence he did go there to be alone and decided to stay and train Gwynn.

"Her breath curled in front of her mouth and one of his shadows darted out to dance with it before twirling back to him. Like it heard some silent music." Stark contrast to the fear his shadows showed with Elain, they are delighted by Gwynn, drawn to her breath, dancing with her.

"Gwynn smiled broadly. 'Thank you.' Azriel dipped his head in a sketch of a bow, something restless settling in him. Even his shadows had calmed. As if content to lounge on his shoulders and watch." It's like his shadows are watching a rom com meet cute and shipping it themselves in my opinion.

"...as he descended, he could have sworn a faint beautiful singing followed him. Could have sworn his shadows sang in answer."

"She deserves something as beautiful as this. I thank you for the joy it shall bring to her.' Something sparkled in Azriel's chest... He could picture it... How Gwynn's teal eyes might light upon seeing the necklace...But Azriel tucked away the thought, consciously erasing the slight smile that glowed quietly. A thing a secret, lovely beauty." To juxtapose, first the object was the secretly beautiful thing, and ended with Gwynn being the secretly lovely beauty.

(And no, I do not think it is romantic to regift something. I just think the two interactions are an interesting juxtaposition. And Gwyn's definitely left a more positive vibe with me personally)

Overall, I don't think the bonus chapter is actually about Az's endgame, but his own dissatisfaction with his life. He seems to develop unhealthy fixations and that is something he needs to adjust.

Also, because some people like to be like this, I know it is Gwyn, but autocorrect keeps changing it. Correcting the spelling of the name is low hanging fruit anyway.

So this is not going to be formatted as a cohesive theory and are just my observations from reading and my collection of thoughts. Please be forgiving of typos. I only have a phone and type this one-handed while I nurse. (reposting this here since it got removed from the other subreddit a few weeks ago for not being posted on ship debate sunday)

Firstly, I want to talk about some fan speculation:

• Azriel's shadows: Many fans speculate it is positive when Azriel's shadows recede from a character. That is a conclusion simply drawn from someone's personal opinions on the connotation of the word shadows. There is no evidence in any book that he does not like his shadows, but they make him feel personally heavy or worn down or negative in any way. He is a Shadow singer, his shadows are a part of him. Now I don't necessarily have my books in front of me to reread for reference, but I don't remember a single point where it is alluded that he does not like his shadows. So when fans draw the conclusion that he feels at peace because his shadows are hiding is someone drawing a connotative conclusion about the words Shadow and not conclusions based on the actual text and character analysis. What is interesting about Azriel's shadows is who they recede from - Mor and Elaine. My personal hypothesis as to why they may recede from those characters is because the purpose of the shadows is to find secrets, yet Mor is a character who sees the truth or reveals the truth and Elaine is a seer/has the gift of sight. His shadows cannot hide from them. And Mor I feel can see the truth, since it is implied she saw Nessian's mate bond during the second confrontation with the mortal Queens in ACOMAF
• Many fans conclude cauldron made mate bonds are bad or corrupted. The only support for this is speculation for characters like Feyre and Azriel but they themselves are questioning whether the Cauldron made a mistake. However, throughout ACOMAF Feyre and Rhysand talk about mate bonds being a gift from the cauldron, or a blessing from The cauldron. The Cauldron is viewed as a positive. And the cauldron is also said to have loved Elaine greatly.
• Many fans say SJM wants to do something new therefore she will write about rejecting a mate bond and that some mistakes get made. My opinion is that if she were to write a rejected mate bond, she would use side characters to do it, rather than diminish what she has established about mates up to this point. And the only time they've been considered mistakes is when one part of the couple behaves like an ass. My other opinion is that yes I do think she will delve more on different mate bonds, but I think she is doing that with Lady of Autumn and Beron, being Lady of Autumn's true love is most likely Helion but her mate is Beron. Or with Bryce and Hunt. And with possibly whatever happened with Mor and Eris. As for taking Elaine's book to new territory, I think that means finally taking us somewhere other than the Night Court and fully expanding the world (BoE, Koschei, Spring/Autumn/Day Court)

Next, I want to talk about two important things with Elaine, starting with the fact that everyone who thinks they know her and her motives surface level will be proven wrong:

• Elaine doesn't simply like flowers
• Elaine doesn't only care about gardening
• Elaine isn't going to end up in Spring Court simply because Feyre painted the night sky for her, flames for Nesta, and flowers for Elaine.
• I think the flowers on the dresser not being a simple way to conclude Elaine will end up in Spring Court actually goes with the theme that there is more than meets the eye for Elaine. And concluding Spring Court ​ because Flowers is the extremely surface level conclusion that we have already been told not to make about elaine.

Which brings me to the evidence that Elaine actually belongs in the Day Court

• Firstly, it is established sjm symbolism that what clothing looks good on a character has to do with where they belong. It is observed that Elaine does not look alive in Night Court colors. While ACOMAF negatively describes Feyre in Spring colors, and spring gowns, but when she wears blacks, silvers, and powdery blues in the Night Court she is described as becoming fuller and more whole. Same with Nesta in ACOWAR and ACOSF. Because the author has established how a character looks in court colors matters, then you cannot simply dismiss Cassian as an asshole when his POV is used to describe how Night Court colors drain a character. That is the author alluding to something. Not just randomly insulting Elaine.
• In the very first book, when Feyre returns home briefly and she is talking to Elaine, Elaine is going off about how excited she is to travel and learn new things. It is also established in the third book that the day Court is the court of knowledge and magical cultivation. That is the type of place someone who craves knowledge and loves cultivation and growth would want to be.
• It is observed by Feyre that Elaine does not wear the gloves Lucien purchased for her because Elaine likes the work that goes into gardening. The cultivation element.
• It is also observed that Elaine chases down the sunshine when she is in the garden.
• Elaine craves the daylight and when she is asked what she needs she says sunshine. She is constantly opening the windows and following the light.
• The entrance to her mind is a archway of flowers that have not yet bloomed. In order to bloom they need sunshine.

Lastly I want to talk about Lucien, but this will stay short:

• When a male is rejected by his mate, he goes absolutely insane. Personally, that is not a fate I picture SJM doing to a beloved character. Let alone a character who doesn't deserve it and has actually given his mate the space that she has requested to figure herself out. He only comes because he is invited to on holidays and has to report to the IC on the Koschei/Vassa situation.
• Lucien has been through so much pain as it is throughout all of the books and with his first love that I also do not picture the author, this author, having him rejected. Especially not without exploring the relationship.
• Lucien was exhibiting mate bond behavior before Elaine was Fae. He surges for her before she was thrown into the cauldron. He reaches for his sword before she is thrown into the cauldron. Thus it was not the cauldron being corrupted, because the desire to protect her preexisted her being turned fae. Tamlin toward the King of Hybern, but Lucien is described as surging to Elaine.

Also, the book of Breathings kept repeating Light, Dark, Gray

Dark = Feyre, high Lady of the Night Court

Gray = Nesta, Silver Flames with death in her gray blue stare

Light = Elaine, mate to heir of the Day Court, name meaning "Light"

I've been reading this sub without logging in for a few weeks right now and I just wanted to chime in with some thoughts.

I have seem some posts about hoping for the forced proximity trope with Elaine and Lucien and tbh, I personally feel excitement for these books because their relationship is the best opportunity to explore free will and NOT do the forced proximity trope. I want to explore Elaine and Lucien away from each other, watch them develop as individuals, enjoy the slowest of slowburns. I believe elriel will happen in some regard, but won't be endgame. I think these books surprised Sarah because she has never actually explored many relationships without forced proximity (except for maybe Manon and Dorian, and Nesryn & Sartaq - I have not read Crescent City yet). She also has not explored much outside the Night Court. I am personally tired of Velaris, the Prison, and the Court of Nightmares. I want to deeply explore another court, which I think we'll get with Day and Autumn.